Nottinghamshire extended their lead at the top of the County Championship Division One after a hard-fought draw with Surrey at Trent Bridge.
England opener Ben Duckett powered his way to an unbeaten double century on Monday, helping the title contenders secure a draw. Duckett, who withdrew from this year’s Indian Premier League in March to sharpen his red-ball form after a disappointing Ashes series, has now amassed 503 runs in seven innings this season. After being dismissed for 42 by Dan Worrall—who claimed six wickets in the first innings—Duckett returned on Monday to smash 203 runs off 311 balls, hitting 23 fours and a six.
“The game was hard-fought, two very good sides going at it,” Duckett told Nottinghamshire’s club website. “Obviously, my knock was great. Last night, going in, I thought if we lost a few wickets we could have been under pressure against that attack. So I just spoke to the guys about taking it hour by hour. That second half of my innings was probably one of the easiest parts of my career, but I had to do a lot of work to get there and kept telling myself to be there at the end.”
Reflecting on his decision to skip the IPL, Duckett believes his game is trending upward heading into the summer, and any fears of being dropped from England’s Test squads for the upcoming series against New Zealand and Pakistan have surely faded. “I made a decision to be here for my personal career. I love playing in this dressing room. Everything is going in the right direction, my game is in good order, and hopefully I can carry this confidence forward this summer.”
The result gives Nottinghamshire a six-point lead at the top of Division One.
In other action, Ollie Robinson further strengthened his case for an England recall, taking six wickets as Sussex secured a seven-wicket win over Leicestershire in Brighton. The pace bowler has been in outstanding form early this season and is in contention for England’s Test matches against New Zealand and Pakistan.
England coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key have both been in touch with the 32-year-old in recent months about a return to the Test squad. Robinson has not played red-ball cricket for England since February 2024.
“I had a text from Baz [McCullum] at the start of the season, just to say the door was still open, which was nice,” Robinson told ESPN Cricinfo. “Keysy rang me as well to say: ‘Take wickets, knock the door down and there’s still a spot for you’.”
So far this season, Robinson has taken 17 wickets.
